Vols Feel Positive Vibe After First Day of Fall Practice

    First day of practice and the Vols wore their new Nike gear, and it felt good.

Said defensive back Cam Sutton,"It’s just amazing. Brings out a genuine swagger in the team. Guys were excited." Reporter-"Were they really?" Said Sutton,"Yes definitely. Guys were excited."

    Not sure the Nike wear makes Tennessee faster, but they looked that way to Coach Jones.

"The first glaring difference is the speed. Team speed, particularly in our backfield. Obviously with Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara."

    Coming off their bowl win, many expect Tennessee to be a strong factor in the SEC East.

Said Sutton,"We really can’t control ourselves with that. We have our team expectations, and team goals that we have set for ourselves. We know we have to live up to that."

    And Sutton is making sure his teammates live up to their practice expectations.

Said Jones,"We had a great leadership opportunity that Cam Sutton took full advantage of. When our second team defense didn’t sprint onto the football field, he called them all back and had them re-huddle and sprint on the football field.  He said that’s not the way we do things at Tennessee.

   Freshman Quarterback Jauan Jennings was moved to receiver to add some depth, and Jones says he was a natural at the position.

"He made some catches today where you kind of did a double-take, and it got you excited."

    Another freshman literally turning heads, 6’4, 340-pound defensive tackle Khalil McKenzie.

Reporter-"How big is Khalil McKenzie?"

Said defensive lineman Derrick Barnett,"He’s big." (chuckles) Reporter-"That’s all you got?" Said Barnett,"He’s big."